Microsoft unveils 'MOOL' for Outlook

Microsoft made the official debut of "MOOL" today. But what exactly is it?

MOOL, or "Microsoft Office Outlook Live" will extend MSN Outlook Connector and Hotmail integration beyond MSN's Premium service, connecting Hotmail and MSN mail accounts to Outlook and providing synchronization of e-mail, contacts, calendar entries and tasks. Its predecessor, Outlook Connector, is available only as a feature of MSN Premium. MOOL, however, is to be offered as a separate subscription service to all Outlook users.

"Evidence suggests that one possible usage scenario for MOOL would be to enable customers to integrate their Verizon Wireless voicemail into Outlook, ultimately being able to store, annotate and search messages."

Microsoft will also unveil its long-awaited Desktop Search as part of the new MSN Toolbar Suite Beta.